BCS Championship Game – LSU Player to Watch

For three seasons the LSU Tigers’ defense fielded one of college football's best defensive backs in corner Patrick Peterson. In his 37 career games with LSU, Peterson racked up 135 tackles and seven interceptions while also serving as the team’s punt returner. Peterson, the 5th overall pick of last summer’s NFL draft, is now playing for the Arizona Cardinals and has been elected to the Pro Bowl as a rookie.
You would think losing such a great player would leave a gap in the Tigers' defense, instead the team just reloaded.

LSU cornerback Tyrann Mathieu (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

Cornerback Tyrann Mathieu has been an absolute terror to his opponents this year. Although slightly undersized at 5’9’’ 175, Tyrann’s fearlessness and relentlessness on the football field has earned him the nickname "The Honeybadger." After earning his way onto the First-Team Freshman All-American and All-SEC Freshman lists in 2010, Mathieu has racked up a slew of honors in 2011. Some of his most notable accolades include becoming the SEC Championship Game MVP, SEC Defensive Player of the Year, Chuck Bednarik Award winner and a finalist for both the Walter Camp Award and The Heisman Trophy.
In only his sophomore year, Tyrann Mathieu is clearly one of the best college football players in the nation and possibly the best on the defensive side of the ball. As the old saying goes, defense wins championships and with this guy anchoring the Tigers defense, they are going to be very tough to score on.
It's not too late to get Allstate BCS National Championship tickets (January 9 7:30PM, Mercedes-Benz Superdome, formerly the Louisiana Superdome). This fine young star will be going up against an Alabama Crimson Tide offense that will be looking to avenge its 9-6 loss to the Tigers back on November 5.